Goddy Egene
Access Bank Plc yesterday listed its N15
billion Green Bond on the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange and the Nigerian
Stock Exchange (NSE). The Bond is the first of its kind to be issued by
an African corporate and represents a major milestone in the
development of the local green finance market. It is a 5-year 15.5 per
cent Fixed Rate Senior Unsecured Green Bond due 2024.
Speaking on the occasion of this
landmark listing, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc,
Herbert Wigwe, said: “At Access Bank we are a pioneer in both domestic
and international capital markets, leading the way with our commitment
to sustainable banking. We hope that this bond issuance inspires other
African companies to support the long-term development of the green
finance market whilst simultaneously realising the growth potential of
the fast-developing low carbon economy.”
Speaking on the listing, Associate
Executive Director, Capital Markets, FMDQ, Ms. Tumi Sekoni,
congratulated the issuer for the successful issue of the pioneer Climate
Bond Certified Green Bond in the Nigerian DCM.
According to her, the green bond would
help address climate and environmental challenges in a sustainable
manner to deliver prosperity for Nigerians and further deepen the
domestic DCM by increasing the range of investible debt securities in
the markets, invariably contributing to Nigeria’s development. She
reiterated FMDQ’s commitment to continue to create awareness and drive
education for green financing, thereby facilitating the development of
the green bond market in Nigeria.
Also speaking, Managing Director, Chapel
Hill Denham Advisory Limited, sponsor of the issue the registration
member (Listings) of FMDQ, Mrs. Kemi Awodein, said “Chapel Hill Denham
is proud to have acted as lead arranger and financial adviser to Access
Bank on Nigeria’s and Africa’s first climate bond.
“This is another first-of-a-kind deal
for both Access Bank and Chapel Hill Denham, and this demonstrates our
leadership in debt capital market innovation and our commitment to doing
work that delivers positive impact for Nigeria’s future. A commitment
to advancing sustainable development goals is imperative in Nigerian and
debt markets provide us many solutions,” he said.
On its part, the NSE said will continue
to provide a unique platform to support both the federal government and
businesses to access capital for sustainable initiatives.
“The NSE, in collaboration with Federal
Ministry Environment, Federal Ministry of Finance and Debt Management
Office hosted a high profile conference themed: “Green Bonds: Investing
in Nigeria’s Sustainable Development” in 2016 that provided an
opportunity for the government to engage the capital market
stakeholders. The conference was a major step towards the issuance of
Nigeria’s first sovereign green bond currently listed on the Exchange,”
the exchange said.
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